JULY 17, 2024 – The U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command G-2 developed and maintains the Exercise Support Application, an online tool that provides a repository of collective training exercises to aid in the planning and development of unit training.
The Army has a need for an exercise database that allows planners to utilize already existing content. At a recent Combat Training Center Commanders Conference, Maj. Gen. Scott Naumann, former U.S. Army Forces Command Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, highlighted the importance of an Army-level database for storing, accessing, and downloading standards-based exercise and scenario support packages. It avoids units consistently reinventing their own.
TRADOC G-2 created a set of web-based applications and tools designed to assist in the production and delivery of the operational environment to support training. One of those tools is the ESA, an online repository for U.S. Army, Joint, and Coalition Partner training exercises.
ESA hosted exercises correspond with the Regionally Aligned Readiness and Modernization Model and the Decisive Action Training Environment enabling users to view, download, and share material in Microsoft formats for reference and or reuse.
Organized into folders and subfolders, users gain insights into the specifics of each exercise with the convenience of downloading entire collections as .zip files or individual files in original format.
ESA provides simple search functionality, allowing quick navigation through a catalog of archived exercises.
The database includes exercises from all the CTCs such as the National Training Center, the Joint Readiness Training Center, and the Joint Multinational Readiness Center with users having the ability to access content from all the available regions such as INDOPACIFIC and EUROPE.
Built for ease of use, a unit conducting training could perform the Military Decision Making Process with an already established Opposing Forces, or use an Annex B and collection matrix to develop an Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance plan, without reinventing the wheel.
Additionally, ESA provides the ability to request exercise support, including exercise planning, scenario development, and overall assistance through the ‘Add Your Exercise’ and ‘Requests for Support’ links.
With over 80 exercise support packages stored, and more being added regularly, ESA continues to grow rapidly, and joint partners, such as the Air Force, have started accessing the application. The site currently has over 30,000 views. The tool helps planners from all echelons, individual units to CTCs, plan and execute training successfully.
Users with a Common Access Card can access the ESA via the TRADOC G-2 SharePoint, https://armyeitaas.sharepoint-mil.us/sites/TR-HQ-G2-esa/.
To learn more about other TRADOC G-2 tools and capabilities to deliver the best training experiences for warfighters, please visit the TRADOC G-2 website at https://oe.tradoc.army.mil. TRADOC G-2 also hosts tools training sessions virtually, telephonic, and in-person at Fort Eustis, Va.
Story by Lt. Col. Michael Gambone and Riccardo Rodriguez
U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command